ISP Business Partners

From the time that John set up his initial Web site just to provide information, to today when there are hundreds of transactions daily between ABC and its customers and ABC suppliers and their Mexican partner, he has depended on his local ISP (Internet service provider), which has also evolved. The ISP has provided ABC with server space for its (now) quite large Web site with thousands of visitors a day. The site has secure transaction capability for financial transactions as well as sending manufacturing release information to Mexico, getting updates on 

The ISP has also set up an intranet for John and his Mexican partner and several of their critical suppliers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This site allows them to communicate quickly and coordinate both their manufacturing production and business activities. For example, accounts are balanced between all parties at the close of every day. They are currently expanding their intranet to include all of the critical steps in shipments between the United States and Mexico so they will be able to know where each shipment of components is at any time. And, they are currently negotiating with a Japanese bicycle company to supply semi-assembled bikes to that market (everything except derailleurs, chains, and brakes). They will also use E-commerce to coordinate the U.S., Mexican, and Japanese operations. This is a success story that would not have been possible except for the inexpensive, ubiquitous Internet, coupled with inexpensive, reliable, transaction software with encryption algorithms, and techniques that allow both security for financial transactions as well as Intranets over the internet and dedicated or public telephone lines. 

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